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Crimean winemakers eye Russian drinkers

Mar 19, 2014

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine - Wines from the sunny hillsides of Crimea have been popular with Russians since the time of Tsar Nicholas II - and now some vineyard owners are hoping their new union with Moscow could boost business despite the winds of war.

French actor Gerard Depardieu is among those reportedly to have invested in Crimean vineyards but most of its 25,000 hectares (61,780 acres) are owned by small businessmen like Pavlo Shvets of the Uppa Winery, southeast of Sevastopol.